General Gaming Disco Elysium: The Final Cut - PC Gamer interviews the game's narrator, who never acted before

[best3444]

1 hour ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Do you ever read the thread you're posting in?

 

Yes it's on PS5 and PS4.

 

Mostly. Sometimes I jump the gun and post before fully reading an entire thread. Sorry 😞 

[Xbob42]

Don't even worry about failing checks and rolls. I think there's only a single check in the entire game that you have to succeed at. You fail into success in this game, and often failing is more interesting or more funny than succeeding, and the opposite can also be true. Think of your rolls succeeding or failing as your version of the story, rather than as actual failure. But yes, sometimes succeeding can get you some extra items or a cool scene or something. It's a game very friendly to multiple playthroughs, as you are 100% not supposed to succeed at everything on playthrough 1. Not even close.

 

Just look at the difference between slipping away unnoticed at the start of the game and failing to do so (original PC version, so not fully voice acted):

 

 

[Bloodporne]

18 hours ago, Xbob42 said:

Don't even worry about failing checks and rolls. I think there's only a single check in the entire game that you have to succeed at. You fail into success in this game, and often failing is more interesting or more funny than succeeding, and the opposite can also be true. Think of your rolls succeeding or failing as your version of the story, rather than as actual failure. But yes, sometimes succeeding can get you some extra items or a cool scene or something. It's a game very friendly to multiple playthroughs, as you are 100% not supposed to succeed at everything on playthrough 1. Not even close.

 

Just look at the difference between slipping away unnoticed at the start of the game and failing to do so (original PC version, so not fully voice acted):

 

 

I immediately failed that one and nailed the lady in the wheelchair...then I failed to get money out of her on top of it. Boo to me. 

 

This game is definitely really growing on me the more I play it. I really loved the little balcony Day 1 wrap-up, Kim pulling out a cigarette and the dialog choices. The narration is so good in this. I did make the mistake of playing it pretty high though and the existential dread was like a 10/10 at one point, had to quit for the night 

[elbobo]

Just beat it, yeah this game is a masterpiece that will stand the test of time like few games can. The breath and depth of the writing is utterly staggering, it is not hyperbole to say I doubt someone will even attempt to write this much quality  dialogue for a game anytime soon, I wouldn't be surprised if it is decades.

[best3444]

10 hours ago, elbobo said:

Just beat it, yeah this game is a masterpiece that will stand the test of time like few games can. The breath and depth of the writing is utterly staggering, it is not hyperbole to say I doubt someone will even attempt to write this much quality  dialogue for a game anytime soon, I wouldn't be surprised if it is decades.

 

Fuck. That's high praise so I absolutely will play this. I'll be patient and take the advice given in this thread and go for a ride. Glad you loved it and I appreciate your thoughts.

[Bloodporne]

11 hours ago, elbobo said:

Just beat it, yeah this game is a masterpiece that will stand the test of time like few games can. The breath and depth of the writing is utterly staggering, it is not hyperbole to say I doubt someone will even attempt to write this much quality  dialogue for a game anytime soon, I wouldn't be surprised if it is decades.

 

57 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

Fuck. That's high praise so I absolutely will play this. I'll be patient and take the advice given in this thread and go for a ride. Glad you loved it and I appreciate your thoughts.

The game feels like playing a legit novel to me in terms of the quality of writing, it's truly great. The more I play it, the more it turns into an intricate web of interconnected storylines as well. It's also highly atmospheric and really sells the role playing aspect, those inner thoughts are such a cool touch. As you can see in this thread though, it took a hot minute for the game to really sink in, it's definitely overwhelming and very different at first, at least it was to me. 

 

Right now it very much reminds me of the worlds of A Clockwork Orange and Inherent Vice, not directly and not in a rip-off way so I mean that flatteringly. 

[best3444]

17 minutes ago, Bloodporne said:

 

The game feels like playing a legit novel to me in terms of the quality of writing, it's truly great. The more I play it, the more it turns into an intricate web of interconnected storylines as well. It's also highly atmospheric and really sells the role playing aspect, those inner thoughts are such a cool touch. As you can see in this thread though, it took a hot minute for the game to really sink in, it's definitely overwhelming and very different at first, at least it was to me. 

 

I'll be just like you and will have to adjust to the type of game it is. I really never played that "genre" but I'm definitely ready to try this out. Like I mentioned, I'll have to give it time to sink in but I can see myself getting fully immersed in the game. I watched a few videos and I really liked what I saw. 

 

Keep your impressions coming as you move along. 

[Bloodporne]

1 minute ago, best3444 said:

 

I'll be just like you and will have to adjust to the type of game it is. I really never played that "genre" but I'm definitely ready to try this out. Like I mentioned, I'll have to give it time to sink in but I can see myself getting fully immersed in the game. I watched a few videos and I really liked what I saw. 

 

Keep your impressions coming as you move along. 

Just be prepared for a different speed of game. It's not a 'play a quick 30 minutes' type of affair. Once I boot it up, I've spent a minimum of two hours each on it. The conversations are insanely fleshed-out and deep and the core of the game where in other games, conversations are a side product to advance Action-oriented gameplay. Think of it more like sitting down to read a book. 

[best3444]

20 minutes ago, Bloodporne said:

Just be prepared for a different speed of game. It's not a 'play a quick 30 minutes' type of affair. Once I boot it up, I've spent a minimum of two hours each on it. The conversations are insanely fleshed-out and deep and the core of the game where in other games, conversations are a side product to advance Action-oriented gameplay. Think of it more like sitting down to read a book. 

 

Got it. When I game I play a minimum of 2 hours each time so it will work out fine. 

[Kal-El814]

13 hours ago, elbobo said:

Just beat it, yeah this game is a masterpiece that will stand the test of time like few games can. The breath and depth of the writing is utterly staggering, it is not hyperbole to say I doubt someone will even attempt to write this much quality  dialogue for a game anytime soon, I wouldn't be surprised if it is decades.

 

The last game that has this much good writing is Planescape: Torment, so that tracks.

 

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

I'll be just like you and will have to adjust to the type of game it is. I really never played that "genre" but I'm definitely ready to try this out. Like I mentioned, I'll have to give it time to sink in but I can see myself getting fully immersed in the game. I watched a few videos and I really liked what I saw. 

 

Keep your impressions coming as you move along. 

 

Only real thing to keep in mind is that there’s no “gameplay” here. There’s no action, no combat, it’s really just conversations and dice rolls for skill checks. It’s very well written, but if you’re looking for something than a solo, dice based RPG… you won’t find it here.

 

And as Xbob pointed out and I posted earlier… you need to learn to lean into failure in this game. Yeah you could save scum and reload to pass every check, but so much of the goodness in this game comes from you either failing up, succeeding down, and leaning into the strengths or weaknesses of your character. If you wanna play a cop who knows a lot about cop stuff and does well at cop things, you can. If you want to lean into being psychotic and telling everyone that you regularly hear and have conversations with the internal parts of your psyche, you can do that, too. There’s really only one “solution” to the overall murder mystery and there are a few choke points that everyone gets funneled through, but aside from that…

 

Just do / try to do whatever you find interesting.

[best3444]

52 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

The last game that has this much good writing is Planescape: Torment, so that tracks.

 

 

Only real thing to keep in mind is that there’s no “gameplay” here. There’s no action, no combat, it’s really just conversations and dice rolls for skill checks. It’s very well written, but if you’re looking for something than a solo, dice based RPG… you won’t find it here.

 

And as Xbob pointed out and I posted earlier… you need to learn to lean into failure in this game. Yeah you could save scum and reload to pass every check, but so much of the goodness in this game comes from you either failing up, succeeding down, and leaning into the strengths or weaknesses of your character. If you wanna play a cop who knows a lot about cop stuff and does well at cop things, you can. If you want to lean into being psychotic and telling everyone that you regularly hear and have conversations with the internal parts of your psyche, you can do that, too. There’s really only one “solution” to the overall murder mystery and there are a few choke points that everyone gets funneled through, but aside from that…

 

Just do / try to do whatever you find interesting.

 

Thank you for the advice and input. I'll definitely keep that all in mind when I play. I'm thinking once I beat village I'm going to play the mass effect remaster then play this. It will be a big adjustment for me but I want a different experience so I look forward to it. 

[elbobo]

22 hours ago, best3444 said:

 

Thank you for the advice and input. I'll definitely keep that all in mind when I play. I'm thinking once I beat village I'm going to play the mass effect remaster then play this. It will be a big adjustment for me but I want a different experience so I look forward to it. 

 

as others have mentioned this is not a typical "game". I would classify it somewhat of a mix of the old Kings Quest type games and a visual novel. It isn't going to be for everyone, I have a couple of friends that play tons of games and are also avid readers but I know for a fact that would dislike this type of experience. 

[best3444]

20 minutes ago, elbobo said:

 

as others have mentioned this is not a typical "game". I would classify it somewhat of a mix of the old Kings Quest type games and a visual novel. It isn't going to be for everyone, I have a couple of friends that play tons of games and are also avid readers but I know for a fact that would dislike this type of experience. 

 

It's definitely going to be a completely new experience for me. I'm fully prepared for something I may not even like but I will absolutely give it time before making judgment. 

[Bloodporne]

Man I'm like 100% in it now after sinking into its pacing and vibe. I get why people raved about it so much and I'm not even that far yet I think. This shit is incredibly good and addictive. 

[TheLeon]

21 hours ago, elbobo said:

 

as others have mentioned this is not a typical "game". I would classify it somewhat of a mix of the old Kings Quest type games and a visual novel. It isn't going to be for everyone, I have a couple of friends that play tons of games and are also avid readers but I know for a fact that would dislike this type of experience. 

I’ve bounced off the game a couple of times now. I tried it again after they added full voice acting and controller support, but that didn’t do it either. I admire what it’s doing, and it obviously has its fans, but I just can’t get into it. 

[Kal-El814]

1 hour ago, TheLeon said:

I’ve bounced off the game a couple of times now. I tried it again after they added full voice acting and controller support, but that didn’t do it either. I admire what it’s doing, and it obviously has its fans, but I just can’t get into it. 

 

Yeah, that tracks. I think this is the kinda game where if you run into a hump and can’t / don’t get over it soon, you just never will.

[Bloodporne]

I played some obscene amount yesterday...through an absolutely gorgeous Sunday and I have no regrets. It's a completely new style of game for me but good god is this fucking good and I can't believe how addictive and engaging a game without any traditional, or I should say action-based, gameplay can apparently be. 

 

I think I'm somewhere near the end with a seemingly very pivotal moment having just happened but there's still some stuff I want to see wrapped up. I hope it doesn't lock me out of that. 

 

Thanks for hyping it here @Xbob42, it's as good as you said.

[Bloodporne]

Okay this is fucking brilliant. I'm near the end I think and some of this dialog is so good and cold it legitimately made me swallow and gave me goosebumps earlier

[Xbob42]

[Bloodporne]

On 5/21/2021 at 1:19 AM, Xbob42 said:

This turned out to be among the greatest gaming experiences I've had in a long time and probably the best implementation of story in a videogame I've experienced. It felt like actively playing a high-grade novel. I feel like I should play it again to see if the ending changes. 

[Xbob42]

It can be tough to get into, but in my opinion it's one of the best games out there, period. I'm glad that it was a success, because there was such a high chance no one would give a shit about it because of how different it is and, in the beginning, how it can come across as pretentious and very verbose. But then you start to get into it and it's like, oh, no, this is actually great. This is on another level.

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, Bloodporne said:

This turned out to be among the greatest gaming experiences I've had in a long time and probably the best implementation of story in a videogame I've experienced. It felt like actively playing a high-grade novel. I feel like I should play it again to see if the ending changes. 

 

It's one of my favorite gaming experiences from the last 5 years. Maybe more.

[Bloodporne]

1 hour ago, Xbob42 said:

It can be tough to get into, but in my opinion it's one of the best games out there, period. I'm glad that it was a success, because there was such a high chance no one would give a shit about it because of how different it is and, in the beginning, how it can come across as pretentious and very verbose. But then you start to get into it and it's like, oh, no, this is actually great. This is on another level.

It's like a lot of crazy, brilliant shit where at first you're not sure if it's pretentious wankery or the pieces eventually start gel-ing and there'll be magic, so yeah exactly what you said. I honestly give players out there credit for sticking with it and making it a success, this is an incredibly eccentric and unique game. 

 

That Dolores Dei conversation, the dream, actually startled my girlfriend and made her sit down next to me and listen to it. I mean in terms of quality of writing and the palpable sadness. There's a line in there, something like 'the first death is in the heart', that really took me aback and it ended up being on my mind all afternoon. Just incredible writing. Really glad I gave this a shot. 

 

I also really loved the ravers, they cracked me up constantly. 

[Kal-El814]

HARD CORE TO THE MEGA

[Brian]

This is on sale for $28 on PSN and $26 on Steam